The Egg I made for you
by KJ Groening
Summary: This is an alternate version of Andy Weir's "The Egg" with a young girl instead of a middle-aged man


You were in the hospital when you died.

You got very sick very fast. Your parents rushed you to the ER as each of your organs systematically shut down. The doctors did everything they could to save you but to no avail.

And that's when you met me.

"Where am I?" You asked.

"You died," I said, matter-of-factly. No point in mincing words.

"I… wasn't feeling well…"

"Yup," I said.

"Then, I died?"

"Yes. But don't feel bad about it. Everyone dies," I said.

You looked around. There was nothingness. Just you and me. "Am I in Heaven?" You asked.

"In a way," I said.

"Are you God?" You asked.

"Yup," I replied. "I'm God."

"My mom… my dad," you said.

"What about them?"

"Will they be all right?"

"That's what I like to see," I said. "You just died, and your main concern is for your family. That's good stuff right there."

You looked at me with fascination. The way I looked intrigued you. I wasn't like the drawings you'd seen of me, but you felt I looked just right: neither a man nor a woman, yet somehow both. I looked more like an authority figure, and that comforted you.

"Don't worry," I said. "They'll be fine. Your absence will weigh heavy on your parents for the rest of their lives. And while the hurt will become manageable, they will never forget you. They will grow apart for a bit. But they'll come back to each other, and they'll care for and love your baby brother like they cared for and loved you."

"I don't have a baby brother." You pointed out.

"You will; very soon," I assured.

"Wow," you smiled. You looked up at me with bright eyes. "So, what happens now?"

"You'll be reincarnated," I said.

"What does that mean?"

"It means you will be reborn as another person."

"Oh," you said. "That's not what the Bible said."

"All religions are right in their own way," I said. "Walk with me."

You followed along as we strode through the void.

"Where are we going?" Your voice was quiet.

"Nowhere in particular," I said. "It's just nice to walk while we talk."

"Oh! Ok," That made you feel better. You then began to tell me about momentous moments from your life. You told me about all the different types of rocks you collected, the cats you had, the kids from your school… You stopped suddenly.

"When I'm reborn," You asked hesitantly, "Will I remember any of this?"

"No," I answered. You looked down; you looked sad.

"Does that mean that my life didn't matter?"

"Absolutely not!" I said. "You have within you all the knowledge and experiences of all your past lives. You just don't remember them right now."

I stopped walking and put my hand on your shoulder. "Your soul is more magnificent, beautiful, and gigantic than you can possibly imagine. A human mind can only contain a tiny fraction of what you are. It's like sticking your finger in a glass of water to see if it's hot or cold. You put a tiny part of yourself into the vessel, and when you bring it back out, you've gained all the experiences it had.

"You've been in a human for the last 7 years, so you haven't stretched out yet and felt the rest of your immense consciousness. If we hung out here for long enough, you'd start remembering everything. But there's no point to doing that between each life."

You still seemed sad. "I'm going to miss being me."

"Don't feel sad. You've been reborn lots and lots of times. And each life mattered."

"They did?"

"Yes," I said. "This time around, you'll be a Spanish boy in 780 AD."

"Oh!" You exclaimed, surprised. "I get to go back in time?"

"Well, I guess technically. Time, as you know it, only exists in your universe. Things are different where I come from."

"Where you come from?" You said.

"Oh yes," I explained, "I come from somewhere. Somewhere else. And there are others like me. I know you'll want to know what it's like there, but honestly, you wouldn't understand."

"Oh," you said, a little let down. "Hey. If I bounce around through time, do you think I'll meet another me at some point?"

"Sure. Happens all the time. And with both lives only aware of their own lifespan, you don't even know it's happening."

"That's so cool!" You grinned, then you looked confused. "This seems like a lot of work. Why did you do this?"

"Are you asking me what the meaning of life is?"

"Does that question have the same answer as the one I asked?"

"Yes."

"Then, yes I am." you declared.

I looked you in the eye. "The meaning of life, the reason I made this whole universe, is for you to mature."

"When you say 'you' do you mean humans?"

"No, just you. I made this whole universe for you. With each new life, you grow and mature and become a larger and greater intellect."

"Just me? What about everyone else?"

"There is no one else," I said. "In this universe, there's just you and me."

You pursed your lips as your mind worked. "But all the people on earth…"

"All you. Different incarnations of you."

"Whoa. I'm _everyone_!?"

"Now you get it," I said, with a congratulatory pat on the back.

"I'm every person on Earth right now?"

"Or who will ever live, yes."

"I'm all the teachers?"

"And you're the students, too," I added.

"I'm my mom and dad?" You said, incredulous.

"And you're their moms and dads."

"I'm Jesus?"

"And you're the people who hurt him."

You fell silent.

"Every time you were mean to someone," I said, "you were being mean to yourself. Every act of kindness you've done, you've done to yourself. Every happy and sad moment ever experienced by any human was, or will be, experienced by you."

You thought for a long time.

"That makes me sad," You said quietly. "Are you doing this because you're mad at me?"

"No," I soothed, "I'm doing this because someday, you will become like me. Because that's what you are. You're one of my kind. You're my child."

"Does that mean you love me?" You asked.

"Yes, it does."

"Can I stay with you then?"

"No. Not yet. You're still growing. Once you've lived every human life throughout all time, you will have grown enough to be born."

"So, the whole universe," you said, "is like an egg?"

"Yes," I answered.

"An egg you made just for me?"

"Yes," I smiled, "Now it's time for you to move on to your next life."

"Wait!" You exclaimed.

"What?"

"I love you too," You said quickly, "Ok, now I'm ready."

I smiled, and I sent you on your way


End file.
